Know exactly what you are buying
300 pearl and jewellery terms, each one linked to a piece you can hold.
Where would you like to begin?
Types of Pearl
Freshwater, saltwater, South Sea, keshi, and how to tell a real pearl from a coated bead.
Shapes
Round, baroque, drop, coin and the rest, and what each one is worth paying for.
Quality & Grading
What AAA actually means, plus lustre, nacre, orient and the claims to be sceptical of.
Size & Length
Millimetres, choker to rope, bangle sizing, and which length suits which neckline.
Jewellery Styles
Jhumka, mangalsutra, kundan, polki, temple work and the rest of the Indian vocabulary.
Gold & Hallmarking
Karat versus carat, 22K and 18K, 916, plating, vermeil and what a BIS hallmark proves.
Gemstones & Cuts
Ruby, emerald, sapphire and zircon, their Indian names, and the cuts from princess to cabochon.
Metals & Plating
925 silver, platinum, brass and the alloys and finishes a piece is actually built from.
Clasps & Construction
Clasps, knotting, drilling and settings, the parts that decide whether a piece survives.
Care & Authenticity
Storing pearls, the tooth test, restringing, and the astrological terms buyers ask about.
Buying & Value
Making charges, wastage, gold rate, GST, buyback and what a piece is actually worth.
Every term
241–264 of 300
Ruby
Red corundum, the second hardest gem after diamond. Manik in Hindi, and the stone of the Sun in Vedic astrology.
70 in stock · from ₹1,600
Safety Chain
A short secondary chain bridging a clasp, so the piece is still held if the main clasp opens.
Saltwater Pearl
A pearl grown in an oyster in the sea. Rounder and rarer than freshwater, and considerably more expensive.
42 in stock · from ₹4,760
Sarpech
A turban ornament worn at the front of a headdress, historically a mark of rank among Mughal and Rajput nobility.
Satlada
A seven-string pearl necklace, the signature piece of Hyderabadi Nizami jewellery.
Scallop Pearl
A non-nacreous pearl from a scallop, often maroon or purple, with a fine granular shimmer.
Screw Back
An earring post with a threaded end and a nut that screws on. The most secure earring fastening.
Screw Clasp
Two halves that screw together, usually shaped as a small ball. Traditional on Indian pearl necklaces and very secure.
Sea of Cortez Pearl
A dark, strongly iridescent cultured pearl from the rainbow-lipped oyster of Mexico. Produced in tiny quantities.
Seed Pearl
A very small pearl, under about 2mm, used in clusters, embroidery and temple work.
9 in stock · from ₹5,040
Semi-Precious
A commercial label for every gemstone outside diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald. Not a measure of quality.
15 in stock · from ₹1,600
Semi-Round
Very slightly out of true: round to the eye, measurably not. The best value in the whole shape range.
133 in stock · from ₹2,600
Shank
The band of a ring, everything except the setting and stones. Where resizing happens.
Shell Pearl
A bead ground from shell and coated to look like a pearl. Not grown by a mollusc, so not a pearl.
Side Pendant
A necklace whose pendant sits off to one side rather than at the centre front.
Side-Drilled
Drilled across the narrow end rather than through the length, so a drop pearl hangs point upward.
Solder
The alloy used to join two pieces of metal with heat. Every join in a piece of jewellery is a solder seam.
Souffle Pearl
A large hollow freshwater pearl, grown around mud that is later washed out. Very big and very light.
South Sea Pearl
The largest commercially grown pearl, from the gold-lipped or silver-lipped oyster. Typically 9mm to 16mm, white to deep gold.
39 in stock · from ₹7,700
Spacer
A small bar with several holes that keeps the rows of a multi-line necklace parallel and untangled.
Statement Piece
A single piece large or distinctive enough to carry an outfit by itself.
5 in stock · from ₹3,500
Steam Cleaning
Cleaning with a jet of high-pressure steam. Fast and effective on hard stones, unsafe for pearls and soft gems.
Storage
Where and how a piece is kept between wears. More damage happens in the box than on the body.
Stringing
The thread a strand is built on, and the craft of assembling it.